The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-09-17

He Amuses Himself with Music and
Wood-Chopping and Plays on the
Irish Harp.
London Cor. Mail and Express.

New York in the fascination O
wood-chopping feats in Hawarde,
park. Hawarden castle (pronouncet
Hardon) is just visible as you pas.
from rare old Chester to North
Wales alongside 1.-The sands o. Dee.
1t is of very moderate size, many {
country house twice as imposing
and it is mainly modern. The ole
castle saw any amount of savage
fighting between the Englishmer
and the warlike Welshmen. The
property used to belong to the Tory
Stanleys, the Earls of Derby, bu,
on the seventh earl being beheaded
for treason, Hawarden was disman
tied and the estate was bought by
Sergeant Glyn, or Glynne, Crom-
wells lord chief justice. 1t came
into the present ownership through
Mrs. Gladstone, who is a Glynne
1t is not generally known that Mr.
Gladstone is not the owner of Haw.
arden. The property belongs to his
Oldest son, William Henry, who is
lord of the manor, i. e., landlord
Strictly speaking, the ex-premier is
only guest on sufferance.
Inside the castle there is much
that proclaims the manner Of man
whose home it is. The walls every.
where may be said to be papered
with books. Even some Of the
lobbies stream with literature. And
literature Of every sort under the
sun, from sacred scriptures, ancient
parchments, Homers and Virgils to
ponderous parliamentary reports,
the latest books of science, art,
poetry, fiction and sphemcral pub
lications. Though he sold the bulk
of his unique collection of china a
few years ago, Mr.. Gladstone still
possesses goodly share of his pet
porcelains, and many valuable
pieces'come to him as gifts. His
own room is a chaos, with some
thing of an artistic purpose run
ming through the disorder. Every
table, chair, lounge, shelf and brack-
ct bears some work of art, either a
portrait, bust, medallion or carv-
ing, or curio of antique Or modern
make.
Whatever he may be as a states
man, Mr.. Gladstone would exchange
a good lump of his reputation in
that department for its weight in
fame as fiddler. We don't hear
much Of his scrapes on the violin
of late, but he has two excellent
musical ears, and he used rather to
pride himself on the elegant figure
he cut as a soloist. These two years
he has devoted himself to the Irish
harp.
When he goes home for his holi-
days this wonderful old Briton
simply substitutes hard days
work for hard nights work of the
parliamentary season. He dresses
himself in a light tweed suit, puts
on slouch hat, ties free-and-easy
bandana around his still freer and
easier collar, and away he strides
through the garden to early morn
ing service in the village church.
Though it is only a village church,
there is a big parish to work, and
we'll is it served by his younger son
Stephen, whom he appointed about
eighteen years ago. 1t is about the
richest private living in England,
producing some $4,000 year.
To see Mr.. Gladstone walk mile
on the turf is a rich treat. Even
in the streets of London he is about
the most graceful and nimble Pc
destrian you will meet in a day.
He strides with the springy free
dom of an athlete, and has all the
grace of a dancing master
without trace Of the dandyism.
More likely than not you will see
him swinging his old hat in one
hand while widening his collar with
the other. Then, into breakfast.
which he eats with hearty relish
that is the envy of most OF his jun
iors. Then, until lunch at two,
comes work in-doors-letters, Ho-
mer (he is always pegging away at
his Homer), the writing of maga-
zine articles on theology, Greek
and Latin poetry, how to make
jam, the Bulgarian question, prac-
ticai forestry, old China, ancient
knows what Glad
stone has not written, is writing or
will write about, and always as an
authority, too. i
He is q most moderate eater and
a careful one at that. 1t was about
a year ago that he published the
result of a prolonged scientific in
vestigation he had been engaged in,
the result being that he pronounces
it essential to good digestion to
take thirty-two distinct bites with
each mouthful of food (that is just
one bite for each tooth, if you are
lucky enough to possess full set J,
and he religiously does what ne
bids us do. Yet he chats away the
meal times with all the easy volu-
hil;tv IF a E.voor-old snOOnfeeder. |